a disorder characterized by back pain and other spinal symptoms that was first identified in 1866 (at a time when railroad transportation was becoming increasingly popular) and was believed to be a result of railroad accidents. As the state of medicine advanced, it was realized that these symptoms were not of organic origin but may have indicated either malingering or a psychogenic disorder that may have been a precursor to posttraumatic stress disorder. Also called railway spine. [John Eric Erichsen (1818–1896), British surgeon]